Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax

Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, KG OM GCSI GCMG GCIE TD PC (16 April 1881 – 23 December 1959), styled Lord Irwin from 1925 until 1934 and Viscount Halifax from 1934 until 1944, was one of the most senior British Conservative politicians of the 1930s. He held several senior ministerial posts during this time, most notably those of Viceroy of India from 1925 to 1931 and of Foreign Secretary between 1938 and 1940. He is regarded as one of the architects of the policy of appeasement prior to the Second World War, during which he served as British Ambassador in Washington.

Early career

Halifax was born into a Yorkshire family, the fourth son of Charles Wood, 2nd Viscount Halifax. He and his siblings were all sickly; his three older brothers died young, leaving him as heir to his father's fortune and seat in the House of Lords. He was born with no left hand and a withered left arm, but still enjoyed riding, hunting and shooting. That and his religiosity as a devout Anglo-Catholic like his father prompted Winston Churchill to nickname him the "Holy Fox". In 2009, the family's roots were traced back to the Viking warrior, Magnus Irwinsson, who arrived in England in 1066, with the army of Harold Hardrada.